Realistically categorize the Suns players

[MarJJMar]

Assumptions:

1. You want to build a team that is a lock to win 50+ games a season.

Categories:

Franchise Player : Player that can carry your team with any average supporting cast to 50 wins.
Starter - Allstar
Starter - borderline Allstar
6th man - can score on his own and create
Starter - role player
bench - role player #7-10 next in line to back up a starter position
bench - benchwarmer #10-12

How would you categorize the Suns players on a potential 50+ win team?

Steve Nash : Starter - borderline allstar
Marcin Gortat : Starter - role player
Aaron Brooks : 6th man (not if he plays poorly as last season)
Grant Hill : bench role player #7-10 (if he could again have a season like last season rating him as a starer - role player would be possible but it is unlikely given his age)
Channing Frye : bench role player #7-10
Jared Dudley : bench role player #7-10
Mickael Pietrus : bench role player #7-10
Robin Lopez : bench role player #7-10
Hakim Warrick : bench role player #7-10
Josh Childress : bench role player #7-10
Lawal, Siler, Dowdlell : benchwarmer #10-12

Markieff Morris : projected rating bench role player #7-10

As you can see I only rank Nash and Gortat as potential starter or above on a good team. Gortat would be a role player however. But he can clearly be a starter given the lack of top tier talent at the Center Position.
So in my opinion we do not have a starting material SG, SF and PF and since I do not expect or want Brooks back and it is doubtful he can recapture his peak play from 2 years ago we do not have a good 6th man either.

You could probably argue that Childress could be a tier higher based on what he was in seasons for the Hawks but not really.
Some will argue that Dudley can be a role player and starter on a good team but I think it is unlikely. Especially not at SG. And to classify him as the 6th man i think he lacks playmaking and ability to create offense for himself.
A typical 6th man type player would be Jamal Crawford or Ben Gordon imo.

[thamadkant]

PG: Nash = Past Super Star, currently borderline All-Star

SG: Dudley = Ideally a 6th or 7th best player on a good team, very good backup SG/SF type for any team.

SF: Grant Hill = Ideally a 5th or 6th best player on a good team, best suited as veteran backup SF.

PF: Frye = Ideally a 5th or 6th best player on a good team, best suited as a backup Center/PF depending on team needs and matchup

C: Gortat = Legit Starting caliber center for most teams, not an all-star, but is mentioned in the top 15 or top 10 Centers in the league, ideally 4th or 5th best player on a good team.


Bench

PG: Brooks = Ideal 3rd or 4th best player on a good team if you use his 2009 season as benchmark. Can be started PG on a few teams and a good 6th man on many teams. 6th man of the year type potential player.

SG/SF: Pietrus = Journeyman role play wingman who can get minutes depending on matchup and needs.

PF: Warrick = 10th/11th player on most teams, decent to have just in case of injuries or foul trouble, but wouldnt be getting much minutes on many teams.

PF: Morris = Rookie, potential to be 8th/9th player off the bench, but can go as high as starter if he lives up to his potential and bulks up his size to matchup with NBA bodies.

SG/SF: Childress = Ideal 6th or 7th best player on a good team. Would be a backup SF on most teams.

C: Lopez = backup center, based on his last season performance, would be 3rd string center at most.

C: Siler = Out of the NBA

PF: Lawal = Borderline NBA player, maybe out of NBA

PG: Dowdel = Borderline NBA player, potential to be 2nd string backup PG in most teams.






Suns = Full of role players

[bigfoot]

Bah ... the Mavericks don't even fit this scenario. You don't need three all-stars (LeBron, Wade, Bosh or Melo, Amare, CP3) to win in championship. Both the Mavs and Detroit have shown you can do it with players who know their roles and work hard at it. Who was Detroit's "franchise" player ... Hamilton, Wallace, Billups, Prince? I'm sure no one considers any of them franchise players like LeBron, Dirk, Wade, etc.

[TASTIC]

DET and to a lesser extent BOS (3 guys past their status as true alpha Dogs and Rondo not quite there) are the sole exceptions to Mar's groupings...

I agree with themadkant's basically...You put Nash on ORL for example and they cause teams a lot more stress than with Nelson there...but then they'd have to move Turk as well I imagine

[MarJJMar]

Boston had

Garnett franchise
Allen Pierce Rondo allstar
Perkins role player
Nate Robinson 6th man

They fit that concept perfectly. The Spurs, Lakers fit it as well pretty much.

[thamadkant]

Pistons are an exception.
(1) They have the best defence system, team defense and one of the top individual defensive players in the league that year and for many seasons.

(2) Ben Wallace league leader shot blocks, rebound, DPOY candidate and winner, Chauncey Billups was top 15 player in 2004, might not be flashy but one of the most efficient PGs in the league, Rip Hamilton is a poor man's Ray Allen but better defender and with less range/3pt shooting, Rasheed Wallace has always been regarded as top 15 talent who didn't reach his potential due to attitude and work ethic... but he was a defensive wall who could guard the Tim Duncans, Kevin Garnetts, Pau Gasols etc down the block, cause havoc by being a 3pt threat and has legit basketball talent.
Then you add in that THEY ALL MESHED well, they ALL played defence, all 4 were ALL-STARS that year and semi/border all-stars for many seasons.



Boston?
They have 3 Team MVPs in Pierce, Allen, Garnett.... in their primes all LEGIT first options, captains and as said... Team MVPs.... the IQ alone between them 3 is enough to shift teams from losing to winning.

Dallas?
Chandler is equal or better than Gortat when healthy and he was healthy in the playoffs...
Marion => Grant Hill, did you see how well he played Defense when he had a defensive centre behind him?
Jason Terry > Dudley.... Dudley is better defender, but did you see Terry rip Heat? The attitude, belief and swagger of a star... although he is border line at most.... he also averages about 20ppg on great percentage against the Suns.
Jason friggin KIdd.... the guy is 40 years old but still 8+ assists a game, 5-6 rebounds a game.... the guy is a slower, stronger, smarter Rondo.
Dirk Diggity Diggity Nowitski.... he is among the top 10 players in the league last season and was top 5 during the playoffs.... MVP form.

Not accounting, the Bench and the DEPTH..... and the defensive focus the team had.....

They would of swept the Suns in a series.... and wouldn't been close.